Her Mother's Daughter
by Missy HP
Summary: James Potter was not killed the night that Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow. Instead, he was left under the influence of a powerful confundus charm. Raised by her godfathers, Harriet Potter must fulfill her destiny while maintaining an impossibly strained relationship with her father who, most days, just can't seem to recognize her as his daughter. Wolfstar & Harriet/Neville.
1. Chapter 1

**AN- I do not own Harry Potter. This story contains references and depictions of sexual violence and sexual abuse. **

Harriet Potter sat on the couch with Sirius, her head in his lap, staring at the fireplace, which crackled satisfyingly across from them. Her godfather was stroking her soft red hair serenely, lost in thought. Remus was in the kitchen making dinner, and Daddy was upstairs sleeping. It was Harri's first evening home with her family again after the dramatic finale of the Triwizard Tournament. There had not yet been a minute to pass in which Harri didn't close her eyes to the sight of Cedric Diggory's lifeless expression, Voldemort's high-pitched cackle, or Pettigrew's severed arm.

When she had arrived back at the entrance to the maze, clinging to Cedric's body, sobbing, Dumbledore had been the first to approach her, but he was followed closely by Sirius who had not allowed her a moment alone since the tournament's unfortunate conclusion. Daddy had wanted to come, but he had been unwell that day, so Remus had stayed behind to watch him. It had been better off that way. Her dad would have only made the situation more difficult to control had he been there.

James Potter had survived the attack on Godric's Hollow that had taken her mother's life, but he had not walked away unaffected. Voldemort had hit him with a potent, modified confundus charm of his own creation, which to this day, no healer had been able to completely bring him back from.

When Harri was little, her dad's illness was not quite as disruptive to her life. For the most part, he took care of her. He knew who she was. Sirius and Remus had lived together, apart from them, and would come around several times a week to check in, but things were normal.

Daddy would sometimes get lost in the house or try to fight off invisible enemies. Sometimes he would call out for her mother, or for Harriet, when no danger was present. Harriet had been used to taking care of him, she loved him dearly and he had been lucid more often when she was little.

Now, unfortunately, due to Harri's uncanny resemblance to Lily as she had aged, he was very rarely lucid in her presence. James was often able to discuss matters regarding Harri with Sirius or Remus, but as soon as she was present, he referred to her as Lily.

This behavior had begun around Harriet's eleventh birthday. When she turned the same age that her mother had been when her parents had met. Sirius had insisted that they move into the house when Harri began at Hogwarts and could no longer be home to care for James.

It was hard for her to blame her father for his faulty cognition. After all, she had inherited long red hair, green eyes, and just about every other feature from Lily Potter. When Daddy had been healthier, when Harri was younger, Sirius used to joke that James might not really be her father, because she had received no traits from him whatsoever. Now, Sirius and Remus dedicated their lives to her care, as well as James'.

Harri cast a glance into the kitchen at Remus, who was frying up some kippers for supper. The werewolf was looking rough, his hands shaky as he prepared the food. Sirius looked up as well and spoke softly,

"Prongslet, will you be ok tomorrow night if we leave you alone with your dad?" He asked.

Harriet sat up. Tomorrow was the full moon.

"Of course, Siri." She smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. None of her smiles really had since the graveyard.

"I can stay, if you want honey, all you have to do is ask." Her godfather ruffled her hair.

"No seriously, you go with Remus, he wants you there. I'll be fine." Harriet shot back, fixing her hair.

He pressed a small kiss to her forehead and stood up moving into the kitchen to talk to Remus. Harriet could spend one evening alone with her dad, things weren't that bad she reasoned. He was usually asleep by six or seven.

The next evening, Harri changed into her pajamas, summer ones, which were pale blue. The shorts were soft, and she shivered as the very first sign of the full moon rose from the skyline. Remus hated Sirius to be there during the transformation, so her godfather hung back until the moon had risen.

Descending the stairs, she paused at the entrance to the sitting room listening. Daddy was laughing, which was a rare treat.

"Padfoot, you're mental." He chuckled. "Harri's just a baby, she doesn't play quidditch."

Sirius responded lightly, "I'm sorry mate. I meant she will be the best seeker in a century."

"Seeker? No, I think she'll play chaser. She is her father's daughter."

"Maybe your right." He allowed, just as Harriet walked into the room.

Her Daddy turned around and a smile broke out across his face.

"Hey Lils, did Harri go down ok?" He asked, his eyes innocent and his face playful.

She winced, but moved forward to meet him, pulling him into a hug.

"Yeah she went down fine." Harriet played along, shooting Sirius a look.

He gazed back at her apologetically, and cocked his head towards James, as if her were asking if she was sure she wanted to watch him. Her godfather and Remus already did so much for them, it was unfair to ask him to stay.

"Go ahead, Siri, we'll be here." Harriet reassured.

Siri nodded, and turned to James, touching his shoulder. I'll be back tomorrow mate. You stay here, yeah?"

Daddy turned to Harri and rolled his eyes playfully, as if to say, 'Of course'.

Harri smiled back.

The evening actually turned out a lot better than Harriet had hoped, at least at first. Her and James had played a game of Wizard's chess, and even though he had been switching between calling her Harri and Lily, they laughed a lot.

Whilst Harriet celebrated her third victory over the man, he playfully swooped her up in his arms, tickling her sides. Harri hadn't had so much fun with her dad in a long time.

However, that night, he did something that she wasn't expecting, something he'd never done before. When he put her down, James Potter spun her around and caressed her cheek.

"Lily, I love you." He whispered, his breathe tickling her neck.

"I love you too Daddy." She responded, supressing the familiar hurt that surfaced.

Before Harriet could react, her dad leaned forward, trapping her from behind, his hand on her back and pressed his lips to hers.

Harri froze.

James tried to deepen the kiss, pressing his tongue against her lips, searching for a way in. Harriet tried to think fast, panic bubbling in her chest. This had never happened before.

Placing her small hands against his chest she pushed as hard as she could.

"Daddy! Stop! It's me, Harri." She cried, and the man stumbled backwards, confusion evident in his face.

"Harri?" He tested her name on his lips.

"Harri…" Realization dawned on his face in that moment.

"Oh god, Harriet, sweetheart, I'm so sorry!" He cried out.

"You know I didn't mean it right baby." He was becoming disturbed. "I just thought… I thought you were…"

"I know dad." Harriet tried to sooth him, her voice a little shaky. "I know, please it's late. Why don't we get you up to bed?" She tried, pushing lightly on his back as a guide.

The man followed willingly. He seemed to forget entirely what had just happened, babbling on about some prank that he was planning to pull.

Harriet did not forget though. Her stomach was doing flips.

Later, when she was alone in the sitting room, she made some tea and thought carefully about what she should do.

She had been kissed before. Ron had kissed her in second year, just to try, and then later, in her third year, Harriet had begun seeing Cormac Maclaggen. They had snogged a few times, but he had wanted more, and Harri hadn't been ready.

That relationship didn't last long.

Now, her own father had kissed her, and it could definitely not have been mistaken for fatherly affection. She knew that her body had been changing over the past year, maturing. She was beginning to develop breasts, she'd gotten her period, much to poor Sirius' chagrin. That had been an awkward conversation. Everyday Harriet was becoming more and more like Lily Potter. The thought had never scared her as much as it did in that moment.

Deciding eventually to pass it off as a one-time thing, Harriet ambled up to her bedroom, and fell into a fitful sleep. She would not mention this to her godfathers. They deserved to be able to go out alone for the evening.

This was probably the worst decision that Harriet had ever made. It rivalled even the decision to take the Triwizard cup together with Cedric. How was she supposed to know that things would only get worse?

That summer, Dumbledore had once again established the Order of the Phoenix. This meant that Sirius and Remus were out of the house at least one evening a week, and Harri was left alone to care for James.

The first time that it happened, Harri was left shell shocked.

She had spent a whole hour with her dad, talking, and he had even seemed lucid. He'd kept her name straight consistently. That night, when she'd gotten him ready for bed, and went back to her own room, she had been just about to sleep when Harriet heard the door creak open.

Harri sat up in bed.

"Daddy?" She questioned, as the familiar silhouette moved towards her.

"Lils, oh Lily, I've missed you." He crooned, in a voice that she didn't recognize.

"Daddy, it's me Harriet." She tried, her stomach rolling with nerves.

He was on top of her before Harri even understood his intentions.

This could not be happening.

She struggled against his weight as he pressed her into the bed, caressing her body coarsely with his hands.

Fear was evident in every fiber of her body.

"Daddy what are you doing? Please it's me, it's Harriet!" Her voice was trembling, and barely audible.

Harriet wrestled her hands free and tried to push up on his chest, but he was so much stronger than she was.

James moaned in her ear, "Oh Lily, I want you so bad."

"Daddy, please, look at me! I'm not Lily!" She could feel his want pressing against her legs now.

Harri was rigid and afraid. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

To her growing horror, he did not react to her words, and his eyes clouded over with lust. Pulling down her pajama shorts roughly, Harri tensed.

He surely wasn't going to do what she thought he might; this was her father, but she was wrong. He pinned her down with one arm and pushed into her, oblivious to the screech of pain that passed through her lips.

"Daddy no!" Was all that she could manage to choke out now, but he wasn't her dad in that moment.

He was James Potter, and, in his mind, she was Lily.

Her body was cold and shaking as he moved into her. Harri contorted away from him in pain, arching her back and trying to get away, but he held her down firmly.

"Lily…" He groaned, his breathing becoming faster, jagged, as he thrusted his hips with more force.

Suddenly, the man's body tensed, and he cried out, leaning harshly on her. The heat of his climax created a stinging sensation from the inside out, causing Harri to whimper.

Relaxing, and pulling out, James Potter flopped onto the bed next to her, finally allowing her freedom.

Harri brought her knees up to her chest, her sleep shorts still around her knees as she began to cry. James reacted to her tears but seemed unaware of their cause. He sat her up and leaned her against his chest. Harriet allowed him to manipulate her body into the sitting position mechanically.

"Shh. It's okay Harriet. Daddy's here."

When Sirius and Remus had returned after their order meeting the evening of the first time, they were distracted by something else, and did not check that Harriet was asleep. Her dad acted normal, like nothing had ever happened and Harri had tried to as well.

She kept trying to tell herself that it had and would only be once. He wouldn't lapse in judgement like that again; but he did.

He didn't always take it that far. It wasn't like that.

Sometimes it was just those uncomfortable kisses. Other times he would touch her, on her breasts or her bottom. Occasionally, he'd make a sexual innuendo; but it did happen again.

The second and third times were just as painful and terrifying as the first.

Her godfathers had become increasingly concerned as she withdrew from them, spending most days alone in her bedroom, but they would never have imagined the reason.

Harri was sure that they chalked it up to the Tournament.

They had noticed the distance that she now kept from James, but when Remus had asked her about it, she had said that it hurt too much to be around him lately. She hadn't lied. Harriet was incredibly ashamed and disgusted with herself for allowing it to continue, but she couldn't bring herself to even think about it, let alone tell Sirius.

Even the thought of talking to Remus, whose calm demeanor was what he was famous for, seemed unbearable. Harri knew that what her dad was doing to her was very wrong.

Her only comfort was that school would begin soon. Daddy would be left in the care of her godfathers, and she would have until Christmas break to figure out a plan.

On the day of her departure, Remus was going to apparate her to King's Cross to catch the train. Daddy and Sirius stood at the door of the cottage to say goodbye, and Sirius pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"You be careful now Prongslet, more than ever ok? Don't listen to what they're saying about you. We know it's not true. I love you so much." He kissed her forehead.

"I love you too Siri." She nuzzled into him.

"Call me on the mirror every chance you get, got it?" Her godfather gave her a meaningful look.

"I will, don't worry, I'll be ok." When Sirius let her go, her dad turned to him and asked, "

Padfoot, where is Lily going?"

Sirius grimaced and placed his hand on her dad's shoulder. "Prongs. Harriet, is going back to Hogwarts for her fifth year. Harriet, your daughter, not Lily."

"Harriet? That's not possible? Why is Lily leaving? Where's the baby?" Her dad was becoming agitated now.

Harriet shifted uncomfortably, and then sighed, "James, Relax, I'm just going round for some tea to Marlene's. I'll be back soon." She tried.

Remus put his hand on her back from behind. "Harri, you don't have to…," but he was interrupted as her dad lurched forward and brought her into a sweeping kiss, right there in front of her godfathers.

His tongue pressed against her lips and he pulled her close. Harri stumbled back as quickly as she could, crashing into Remus behind her.

Sirius lunged forward.

"James! Fuck mate, that's disgusting." Her godfather was angry. "Don't ever fucking do that again." His grip on her father was tight and he shot Remus a look.

"Harriet honey, Merlin, I'm so sorry. If he ever does that again please tell me. Maybe we should look at having him committed."

Harri blushed red with shame. If only he knew. "No, Siri, don't say that. I don't want him to go away." She pleaded.

Remus interjected, "Let's not talk about this right now ok?"

Sirius was still upset. "Fine, but promise me that you'll tell me if he ever does that again Harri, swear to me."

She nodded, but her stomach churned with the weight of her deception.

Reaching out tenderly, she took her dad's hand. He was staring wide eyed at his best friend, obviously confused.

"I love you daddy." Harri whispered, even though she knew that she would get no reaction.

On the platform, Remus turned to her, his face concerned. "Are you alright Harri sweetheart? Your father has not been very aware lately, especially when it comes to you. I know it must be difficult."

"It's just not fair. He always knows who you guys are… I wish I looked different, I wish I looked like him, or that my hair was a different color, or my eyes, anything." She sighed longingly, her heart aching.

"Don't say that Harriet darling. You're beautiful, and in his heart, your dad knows who you are, it's just in his head that he gets confused." Remus reassured… or attempted to anyways.

Harri knew it was untrue, he had absolutely no idea who she was most of the time.

The James Potter that had raised her before Hogwarts, and that her godfathers had known would never do these things to his own daughter, not on purpose.

Kissing Remus goodbye, Harriet searched for her friends on the platform. When Ron spotted her, he waved and motioned for her to join the Weasleys. Waving goodbye once more to Remus, she quickly sauntered over to join them, pushing her dad to the back of her mind.

The first week of classes was an adjustment for Harriet. Most of the students had been flooded with speculation and rumors from their parents, the daily prophet, and everyone in between about Harri.

Was she sane? What she lying? Was Voldemort really back?

To top it off, the new defense professor was an absolute joke. Dolores Umbridge had been appointed by the ministry to spy on Dumbledore, and Harri, and seemed to make it her mission to dole out as many detentions to Harriet and her supporters as possible.

This coupled with her persistent anxiety about her father, and the impending Christmas holidays made for a pretty rotten first term. Hermione had organized a defense group the week before school was to let out, and she elected Harriet to be the leader, but they would not begin lessons until after the holidays.

Sirius had called Harri one evening the week before to report that her father had been completely lucid for a few hours that day, and had spent the whole of it sobbing, crying out his daughter's name, and apologizing profusely.

Siri had said that he'd been almost inconsolable.

Every time she thought about this, Harri shivered. Her daddy was still in there. He was, and he did know who she was, he regretted what he had done, and he loved her.

This just made the anxiety worse. She knew that she could never tell her godfathers what'd been happening. They would never let him around her again.

On top of the myriad of stress that she was currently experiencing, Harri had been having dreams again. This time, her dreams took place in a long corridor. She would move towards it, until she reached a tall, locked door. Whatever was behind the door was extremely desirable, and her emotions always peaked when she reached the end.

Tired and at the end of her rope, Harriet made her way to her last potions class of the term with Neville in tow.

Almost always, Harri spent the few days leading up to any kind of holiday with Neville. Ron and Hermione knew to expect this. Her shy friend had very similar demons to Harri's. Although her father was more coherent, they both knew the pain of having parents who were there, but not capable of parenting.

Entering the classroom together, Harri took a seat next to Neville, and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Are you going to the hospital this Christmas Nev?" She asked him, eyes still closed.

"Yeah, we didn't last year, but I felt bad. Gram's going to take me, but she won't stay. I think she is trying to let go." He whispered back, his tone sad.

"I'm sorry, Nev. I get it. Sirius suggested before I left this year that we have dad committed."

"Did something happen?" Her friend sounded concerned.

"He's been calling me Lily almost all the time now. He barely has any idea who I am anymore." She sighed.

Neville's arm wrapped around her shoulder and he rubbed hers.

"I'm sorry Harri. Let's get together over the Hols how bout?" He suggested lightly.

Harriet looked up to agree just as Snape swept into the class, the doors slamming behind him. Neville's arm returned to his side, and he shot her a small smile.

The potions professor seemed to be in a bad mood, more than his usual sour demeanor.

Before starting at Hogwarts, Harriet had been warned of Snape by Sirius, who absolutely despised the man, referring to him exclusively as, 'Snivellus.' However, she had learned right away that the dour Potions master had a soft spot for her. It wasn't as though they spoke, no, quite the opposite. Snape seemed to go out of his way to avoid Harri.

He did everything possible to circumvent interacting with her aside from class time. In class, he had never once in four and a half years called on her, but she did catch him looking her way quite a bit. Anytime that Harri had approached him alone, asking about a grade, or asking for an extension, he had given it to her without question.

He seemed almost gleeful to take house points away from Gryffindor; however, she had never lost points because of him. This was the other reason that Neville sat with her in potions class. Snape, who'd had a mean streak when it came to the shy boy, said nothing to him if he worked with her.

This class was no different, and when it ended, everyone went back up to pack for the train home. As far as Harriet knew, all three members of her family were coming to get her. Her dad had been doing well for the last few days, and Sirius said that if he continued that morning, he would bring him along.

Neville's grandmother was late, so he walked over with her to greet her family. Sirius made true to what he said, and he had brought along her dad, who was gazing around.

Remus hugged her tightly, followed by Sirius. Turning to her dad, Harri moved to give him a hug too.

She froze, when he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "I've missed you Lily love."

Harri could not hide her face as she cringed, stepping back from her father, who turned to Neville glaring.

"Lily who is this?" He glowered. She could almost feel her heart collapse.

"Um, Neville Longbottom sir. I'm Harriet's friend. Nice to meet you." Nev held out his hand awkwardly.

Her dad took it, but he was still glaring.

"Who is this bloke? Lils how do you know him?"

"Daddy please." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "It's me, Harriet."

"Harriet? Where is Harriet?" James began to look around wildly. That's when Sirius stepped in.

"Alright mate. We'd better get going." He directed.

Harri hugged Neville goodbye. He lingered in the hug, and it was comforting. She had such good friends. Remus apparated with her dad, and Sirius with her.

"That's Frank and Alice's boy, right?" Siri asked her as they arrived.

"Yeah, he is." She smiled.

"Good. I'm glad you two are friends. You have a lot in common." Harriet cringed again.

"I'm sorry honey, I swear he was acting normal with us before you got off the train, but you know, he was pretty convinced that we were gonna get on it."

"It's fine Siri really. I get it. Thanks for coming to get me." She hugged him again, taking in his musky cologne.

"He's been asking for you a lot lately. He's so worried that you hate him, or that you stay away because you're afraid of him, but as soon as he sees you it's all Lily." Her godfather vented. He was obviously frustrated.

Harri looked down, frowning. Maybe that meant that he was sane enough not to hurt her anymore. Maybe it had had a profound effect on him. Her stomach hurt even thinking about the possibility of him doing that to her again, but there was hope now too.

The hope was unfortunately, short lived. That very same evening, they were all gathered around the dinner table. Remus had made a ham and potatoes as a welcome home supper. They were just about to start eating, when Sirius announced that he'd forgotten to grab the forks. Harriet rose up to go and collect them from the kitchen, and as she passed her dad, he reached up and in plain sight, swatted her bottom.

She squealed and jumped back. "Daddy!" she cried her face flushing with embarrassment.

His eyes were playful.

Sirius was on his feet in an instant. His hands hit the table, causing a loud bang. He grabbed her father by the collar of his shirt and pushed him up against the nearby wall.

"That. Is. Not. Ok." He growled at James as Remus took her into his arms.

"Padfoot what the hell man? Lily doesn't mind!" His tone was innocent.

"She is not Lily." Siri hissed. "She is your fucking fifteen-year-old daughter."

"My… what? Oh god, Harriet?" Her daddy turned to where she stood.

"Harriet, oh, baby I'm so sorry, god, I'm so sorry." The man sobbed, leaning against her godfather. Harri tentatively approached,

"Daddy?" she asked, her tone soft and shaky.

He looked up at her, and she knew that it was him because his face was pained. He left Sirius and took her into his arms. She had to stop herself from flinching at his touch.

They stayed in the embrace for a long time. When he released her, he began to mutter something about going to bed. Remus offered to take him, and then she was left alone with Siri again.

"Oh Sweetheart, that shouldn't have happened." He sighed, his tone wavering.

Harriet didn't say anything. She just wanted to go to bed. She wanted to tell him that she didn't trust her dad, that he was hurting her and that she was scared to close her eyes at night, but she couldn't bring herself to. The sadness in her father's eyes was heart wrenching. She wanted so badly to believe that he really was sorry. He was her daddy, or she wanted so desperately for him to be again.

By the end of the holiday, Harriet was beginning to feel better. Her dad had not done anything else to her. He hadn't been lucid like that again, but he had been a bit more coherent.

It wasn't until this last night, when Harri had her guard down, that he crept into her room once again. This time, Sirius and Remus were home. Their bedroom was only one away, as her dad's was beside hers.

"Lily flower!" He called into the dark, his voice tight, in a whispered urgency. "Are you in here Lils. I need you babe." He said as he slipped into bed beside her.

Harriet had frozen, her body trembling. Sirius would surely kill him if he caught her dad in the act.

She had to keep quiet. She had to.

The now familiar pain sliced through her, as she resisted, writhing and groaning into the pillow. His strong arms held her in an embrace. He was beginning to moan louder and Harri was terrified that her godfathers would hear.

As he came, he shouted her mother's name. Harriet could hear somebody stir in the other room. Panic coursed through her veins. It ached in between her thighs, but she sat up quickly and pulled her father's pajamas pants up. He was smiling.

"Daddy, please be quiet." She whispered desperately. Trying to fix herself and wipe away the tears. Footsteps sounded outside of James' room.

Whoever it was, noticed him missing and came quickly to check on Harriet. Sirius appeared at the door, his face wary.

"Harriet? Is your father in here?" He hissed, preoccupied.

"Yeah he's here Siri." She answered, barely able to control the shaking in her voice.

Sirius entered the room and went straight to her dad. "Prongs, you shouldn't be in here at night." He chided, shooting Harri a look.

"Aw Paddy, I was just visiting Lily here." He whined like a boy.

"Yeah, I can see that, but Lily needs to sleep." Siri added, glancing at her pointedly.

Her godfather guided James out of the room and back to bed, and Harriet began to sob, curling herself up into a ball. The noise must have attracted Siri back to return, because he was at her side quickly.

"Oh honey, you're ok, tell me what's wrong." He said as he held her close to him.

"I just don't want to look like her anymore." She cried into his chest. "I don't want to be Lily."

"I know sweet girl, I know. You're Harriet, and you'll always be our Harriet honey."

"I wish you were my dad." She admitted weakly, hiding her face, the ache in her thighs dulling as her real dad's leftovers spilled out of her, wetting her pajamas shorts.

"Oh, Harri love, I am. Me, Moony, and your dad. We are all in this together sweetheart."

The holidays had come to an end, and Harriet had never been more relieved. However, the relief did not last, because the very first night back in her dorm Harriet had a dream. It began just like her previous dreams had, but this time, at the end of the long stretch of hallway, Harri encountered the sleeping figure of Arthur Weasley.

The Weasley patriarch awoke with a start and began to shout in the same moment that Harriet realized that she was a snake. A snake that was now attacking Ron's dad. When she woke up in her four-poster bed, she was drenched in sweat, pajamas clinging to her, her chest heaving.

"Hermione!" Harri whispered urgently.

The girl was awake in an instant, and the girls made their way to the Headmaster's office, panic evident in their expressions. When the ordeal was dealt with and Mr. Weasley retrieved and taken to St. Mungo's, Harriet was left alone in Dumbledore's office with the headmaster and professor Snape who stood in the corner.

"Severus, do you remember our conversation last week?"

The potions master nodded curtly. "Excellent, I think that now would be a good time to begin."

Professor Snape turned to Harriet and spoke, "Miss Potter, I require your presence in my office tonight. There is some urgent business to attend to." He started.

It was at that moment that Harri became aware of her state of dress. She was braless, in a tight top, her breasts nearly spilling out, nipples protruding from the cold. The pajamas shorts that she had on were barely long enough to cover her below. Folding her arms over her chest self-consciously, Harri looked up at the man and blushed,

"Can I, um, put on some clothes first professor?"

The man fidgeted uncomfortably as though he too had just noticed her attire. He swiftly picked up an inkwell that sat on the Headmaster's desk and transfigured it into a large sweatshirt. The shirt was plain and black. He handed it to her silently and turned away, allowing her to put it on in peace.

Professor Dumbledore was watching the interaction amusedly.

"Thanks sir." She added quietly and she followed the man down into the dungeons, and then into his office wondering what on earth he could possibly need to discuss with her.

Still cold, with goosepimples all over her legs, Harriet sat up on the desk in his office as the potions masters stood facing her.

"Miss Potter. It seems as though there is a connection between your mind and the Dark Lord's mind. I have been given the task of teaching you to defend your mind from intrusion through the discipline, occlumency."

"Occlumency?" She asked innocently.

Her eyes meeting his. The professor's hardened demeanor softened slightly.

"Yes. Occlumency is a form of mind magic that will allow you to block the dark lord from reading your thoughts."

"Reading my thoughts?" Harri wanted to gag.

"Yes. It is not clear whether or not the Dark Lord is aware of the connection or not, but it is prudent that we break it off."

"How do we do that? How will I learn?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"I will attempt to enter your mind, and you will attempt to block me." Snape responded matter of factly.

Harriet stiffened. "Sir, no offense, but is there another way?" She shivered.

Nobody could go into her mind, that was not alright with her.

"I am afraid that there is no other option Potter. This connection is too dangerous."

"Professor, please, I don't want you to read my thoughts." Harri begged, her face panicked.

Snape moved closer to her, looking her in the eyes.

"Potter, I assure you. Anything that I see in your mind will remain confidential. I will not use it to taunt you, and I am sure that in the long run, you will be much better off with me reading your thoughts than the dark lord."

Harriet really did not want to allow this, but it seemed as though she didn't have much of a choice.

Sirius would flip out when he learned. She knew how much he hated Snape.

Closing her eyes, she nodded and sighed. "Fine."

Snape prepared her, telling her to clear her mind, and cast the spell. Harriet was weak, and they went tumbling into her memories instantly.

_Eleven-year-old Harriet's eyes widened as she watched from the kitchen. Her daddy was agitated and screaming at Siri, _

_"__Where is Harriet?!" Harri entered the sitting room and ran up to him. _

_"__Daddy I'm right here!" She cried, tugging at his robes. _

_He turned to her; his face hard. _

_"__Lily, where is Harriet? Where did you take her?" He asked. _

_Next memory. _

_Harriet whimpered softly as her daddy hugged her saying, "Oh Lily love, I missed you so much. Where'd you go?" _

_Next Memory. _

_"__Padfoot, where the fuck is my daughter?" Daddy screamed. _

_"__James. You need to calm down. Harri has been here all day, this girl, she is Harriet. Not Lily. Harriet." _

_"__Don't mess with me Padfoot, Harriet is a baby,"_

_Next memory._

_Her dad held her against him, pressing his lips into hers. Harriet stumbled back. "James! Fuck man, that's disgusting." Siri shouted in the background, ripping him away from her. _

_Next memory._

_Sirius held her dad up against the wall. "That. Is. Not. Ok. James." She's your fucking fifteen-year-old daughter!"_

_Next memory._

_"__I don't want to be Lily anymore." Harriet sobbed into Sirius' pajama top, his arms around her small frame protectively in the dark._

The memories ceased as Snape pulled out of her head, his face a mixture of shock and confusion.

"What is wrong with your father Potter?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

Harri dropped her head low in shame. "He's not well sir."

"I can see that. What is wrong with him?"

"Um, when Voldemort attacked my home sir, he hit my father with a strange spell, and he has been like this ever since. He gets confused easily. He knows Remus and Sirius, but I look so much like my mum… He hardly ever knows who I am."

"He thinks that you're…"

"Lily. Yes." She finished.

"Your guardians encourage you to act as your mother?" Snape questioned. His tone was sharp.

"No, they hate it. Remus and Sirius, they get really upset when I pretend to be her…but sometimes it's um, the only way I can connect with him." She cringed.

"Is he _romantically_ inclined with you often?"

"It's kind of a new thing." She shrugged. "Since, uh, you know." Harri gestured towards her body.

"Sirius wants to have him committed."

"I see." He breathed. "That will be all for your introductory lesson Miss Potter. Please return on Wednesday evening at seven o'clock. In the interim, practice clearing and closing your mind."

Harri nodded and hugged herself tighter, the jumper barely coming down to cover her thighs. She slept fitfully, thoughts of her dad playing in the corners of her mind. The week went by too quickly.

The first meeting of the Defense Association went by without a hitch, and Harriet, with the help of her friends began to perfect the basic disarming spells with the younger students. Cormac had joined the club, but she suspected that it was more with the intention of leering at her creepily from the corner than learning anything.

The most surprising addition to the group had been Draco Malfoy. The boy had come alone to the first meeting, hands on his head in surrender and said that he just wanted to make sure that his education wasn't going to be compromised this year.

Of course, just like every other student, he had been made to sign the jinxed parchment, and he had kept pretty quiet. Harri had been forced to demonstrate with the boy for the entire lesson as nobody else would work with him.

She couldn't help but worry that she was teaching her defense secrets to a future death eater, recalling with clarity Lucius Malfoy's face in her mind from the graveyard. However, she was really bad at saying no to people, as had been made very clear to her over the past few years.

Wednesday's lesson came with shocking speed. Harri was determined to keep her mind closed this time. The last few memories of her father had been a little too close to other secrets that Snape could not ever see. Fully clothed this time, in a long blue knit sweatshirt and tights, Harri entered the potions office where Snape sat marking papers.

"Good evening professor." She whispered lightly, shivering in the cold dungeon room.

"Good evening Miss Potter. Please, have a seat." He directed her towards the chair in the corner and stood up.

Like the last meeting, Harri ignored the chair and moved to sit on the desk. She felt more in control the higher up she was.

"Have you been practicing?" He asked her seriously.

"I've been trying sir."

"We shall see then. Relax Potter, I will not hurt you."

The professor was just about to cast the spell when Harriet turned away, taking her eyes off him and moving her gaze to the wall.

"I can't." She said softly.

"Potter, you don't seem to grasp the urgency of this task. Do you enjoy the idea of the dark lord rummaging through your mind?"

"No sir, I just, I don't want anyone in my mind. It feels wrong."

"Then you should be taking these lessons more seriously. I assure you that there are worse enemies than I who will try to open up your mind, expose your vulnerabilities, and find the memories that make you feel powerless." He spat, and he took her chin gently into his hand and turned her face towards him, casting the spell as he did so.

Not prepared once again, they went tumbling into Harri's mind. Snape must have been looking for her most vulnerable memories.

_Four-year-old Harri watched with wide eyes as Remus' skin stretched and his bones snapped in front of her, fur sprouting all over his body. Daddy came up behind her, swooping her up into his strong arms as Siri turned into Padfoot. _

_"__Harri honey, we've gotta go now. Remus is fine, he'll be fine." He soothed in her ear. _

_Next memory. _

_Cormac stood in front of Harri, not quite allowing her enough space to leave. His hands caressed her body, his mouth crashing against hers. _

_"__Stop, Cormac, I'm not ready for that." She growled in frustration._

_The boy just pushed her back further into the wall of the deserted classroom. _

_"__Cormac, stop, please. I don't want this." She tried as she pushed against his chest. _

_He snarled and pushed her back, hitting her head against the wall. _

_"__Fine, you fucking prude. I'll just go fuck someone else then." _

_Next memory. _

_Harriet was pinned against the cold headstone in the graveyard, her arm and her scar throbbing. _

_"__I can touch you now." Voldemort hissed as he pressed his finger to her head. _

_Harri screamed._

_Next memory._

_Harri panicked as she heard movement from the other room. _

_"__Daddy please be quiet!" She cried as she helped him to pull up his pajama pants, covering his exposed genitals, fear consuming every cell in her body._

Instantly, Harriet was propelled back into the potion's office, her breathing heavy and her eyes stinging. Snape's face exposed a mixture of shock and horror.

"Potter. What. Was. That?"

Harri turned her face away from the man, flushing red with shame.

"Nothing." She replied stubbornly.

"Do. Not. Lie. To me." His voice was deadly. "Why was your father in your room in that state?"

Harri couldn't contain herself any longer. "Please sir, he can't help it. He doesn't know who I am." She cried.

Snape's horrified expression only deepened. He gripped her chin in his fingers once again and cast the legilimency spell one more time. Harri was helpless to defend herself.

_Daddy came up from behind her, groping her breast and caressing Harri's frozen figure. _

_Next Memory. _

_Harriet pushed her Daddy off of her as hard as she could, the feeling of his lips on hers disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. _

_Next Memory._

_Harriet was pinned underneath him struggling and crying. _

_"__Daddy Stop! Please I'm Harriet not Lily, please!" She cried as he pulled down her pajama shorts. _

_Her body recoiled and writhed in pain as Harri screamed. _

_Next Memory. _

_Daddy wouldn't let go, he was too strong. He cried out her mother's name as Harri struggled to breathe, her face stuffed into the fabric of her pillow, agony as he moved inside of her. _

Harriet came to, staring past the professor and at the wall in his office. Snape had backed away coughing. The man wretched into an empty cauldron, his face white as a sheet. Harri wrapped her arms around herself, curling into a ball.

Snape knew. He saw. He would tell Siri, he'd tell Remus, Daddy. Oh Daddy.

She couldn't bear it. Sirius would murder him, and then he would go to Azkaban. If her daddy didn't die, they would surely have him committed.

Harriet felt as though her whole world was going to come crashing down around her. Snape straightened his figure, still pale as a ghost and stared at her.

"I am going to assume that Black and Lupin are not privy to your father's filthy habits."

"Please don't tell them." Harri began to sob, her whole-body trembling. "Please, he doesn't know what he's doing. He's just confused. Please sir."

"Potter. You need to be far away from that man. I absolutely cannot allow you to return to a house in which he resides."

Shaking and tearful, Harri barely resisted when the potions master took her by the arm and forced her into the floo with him. They arrived instantly at the headmaster's office and Snape held onto her arm to prevent her from falling forward. Dumbledore, who was alone at his desk stood up immediately, taking in the sight of a tearful Harri being manipulated by the potion's professor.

"Severus. Whatever is the matter?" His voice was concerned.

"Albus, you need to get Miss Potter's guardians here this instant. Call Black and Lupin. This is an emergency. See that James Potter does not come with them."

Harri interjected, "S…Sir they can't leave him alone to come together."

"Harri." Dumbledore turned to face her, his face wrought with worry. "What happened my dear girl?" She just sobbed harder.

This was the headmaster's cue to move over to the fireplace, he was obviously quite startled. Harri was absolutely inconsolable. Snape didn't say anything. It felt as though no time had passed when Dumbledore pulled himself from the fire, stood back, and watched as Sirius, and Remus stumbled through, James in tow, their faces wild. Siri searched for her frantically as he came through, glaring at Snape.

"Harri! God what happened baby?" He cried, his eyes fixed on Snape. "What the fuck did you do to her?!" He started at Severus.

"I think you should be asking your pet pervert that question you idiotic excuse for a guardian." Snape shot back.

Harri cried out again and lunged towards her father who was staring around the room confused.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me daddy I didn't want to tell him." She clung to his chest.

James Potter wrapped his arms around her and rest his face on the top of her head.

To everyone's surprise, he soothed her softly. "It's ok Harri, Daddy's here. You're ok. I've got you."

"Why do you remember me now?" she whimpered.

"Why now and not then? I'm so sorry!" Her sobs deepened.

"Sirius was furious now. "Somebody tell me what is going on now!" Remus held the man back.

Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Yes, Severus, my boy, might you let us in on what is troubling young Harriet tonight." He asked calmly.

"It has come to my attention, through detailed exploration of the child's mind during occlumency lessons, that your precious Potter, in his altered mental state, has been raping and otherwise accosting his daughter for quite some time now."

Silence hung over them like a cape in the room. Harri clung to her dad, who of course, didn't really understand what was going on.

"I see." Dumbledore began, pursing his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Remus was the first of her guardians to recover. "Harri? Honey, is that true?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Harriet let out a strangled sob and tightened her grip on James' robes as though she could prevent them from taking him away. She said the first thing that came to mind.

"Please. He didn't know!"

Sirius' breath caught at her confirmation.

"What? Harri what?" He gasped, clutching his chest and staring in between her and her dad.

"He was just confused." Harri trembled harder now, her whole body shaking with terror. Siri seemed to react to her fear.

"Harri, oh God. Sweetie, why? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want you to take him away from me!" She cried, her whole bodying dissolving into panic.

Her godfather's face crumbled with emotion. "Sweetheart, Harri…baby he's your dad. That's not what dad's do with their daughters." He choked, barely able to finish the sentence before he lost his balance. He was pale as a sheet.

Remus seemed torn between moving to comfort Sirius or attempting to sooth her.

"Yeah well he doesn't want to do anything else with me." She sobbed, pawing at her eyes, which were blurry with tears.

Sirius was crying now too, his eyes red rimmed and swollen.

"Please don't send him away." Harri pleaded, and Remus came forward then to stroke her arm.

James was upset now, looking wildly around for any sense of normalcy.

"Padfoot, what's going on? Why are you crying?" He asked, looking from him to Harriet. "Why's Lily upset?"

"Fuck!" Siri hissed, clenching his fists. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the fuck James!?" He nearly shrieked.

Harri gripped onto her dad's robes tighter. "It's ok daddy. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"No! Get away from him Harriet. Get the hell away from him!" Her godfather demanded, moving forward.

"Siri no please!" She cried, trying to put herself in front of him.

"Remus get her out of the way." He warned tensely.

In a surprising display of strength, Remus grabbed hold of her arms and yanked her forcefully from her spot next to her dad.

"No! Daddy, daddy, daddy." She cried, burying her face in the werewolf's robes. "Please don't hurt him."

"I'm done. I'm done with you. We've tried so bloody hard to make this work James, for Harriet, but fuck. I can't do this anymore. You're done. That's your fucking baby daughter, not your wife you sick son of a bitch! Lily is dead!"

"Please he didn't know!" She wailed again.

"It's not a fucking mystery that you're fifteen years old Harri! God she's your own baby James!" He growled, this time lunging forward and grabbing hold of her dad's shirt collar.

"All those nights we weren't home! Harri, did he rape you all those nights?" Siri looked deranged now.

"N…no! It was only a few times I swear!"

"A few like how many?" He hissed again.

"F…four."

"Four times. You raped your teenage daughter four times James. Get him out of here." Sirius growled, pushing her dad back as hard as he could towards Snape. "Just get him the hell out of here before I rip his dick off with my bare hands."

"When did this start Harri?" He rounded on her, his tone gruff and demanding.

She whimpered.

"When was it? How bloody old were you?" Siri asked again, harsher this time.

"I…in the summer. The f…first or s…second order meeting."

"The summer? So, when he kissed you, before you went back to school. He'd already been raping you for months, and when I made you _swear_ to tell me if he did it again, you didn't think to mention that?!"

"I…It was only four times."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY TIMES IT WAS. HE'S YOUR FATHER!"

Harri screamed and hid her face.

"Sirius. That's enough. Harriet has done nothing wrong here. You're frightening her." Remus soothed, rubbing her back.

"I didn't want him to! I tried to get him off me, but I couldn't, and it hurt!" Her voice broke.

Her godfather crumpled again at her words. "Oh baby. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. That's not what dads are supposed to do…I never thought… oh sweetheart."

He was clinging to her now, and crying, and it was all getting very overwhelming and she just wanted to know where Snape had taken her dad.

"Might I suggest taking Miss. Potter home for a while… to recover and discuss everything that must be discussed." The headmaster frowned, his tone calm, but he was obviously upset.

"Do you want to go home Harriet?" Remus asked her softly, coaxing her to breathe.

She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded, feeling the tears roll down her face.

"Okay. I think we can arrange that dear." He soothed, and then he spoke again, his tone authoritative, "Sirius. You come with us."

"Where'd professor Snape take my dad? He hates him." Harri looked up at Remus, her lip quivering.

"Hopefully out back to kill the bastard." Her godfather muttered.

"Siri no!" She cried, starting to shake.

"Sirius Black, shut your damn mouth." Remus spat. "I'm sure he's just taken him to St. Mungos for now darling."

She flooed with Remus. He held her behind him, like a shield in between she and Siri, and it was odd for Harri to see the werewolf so protective and domineering. Remus was typically more of the passive, advice giving parent.

When they had all arrived back at the house, Sirius began to pace, and Harriet leaned up against Remus on the couch hiding her face and trying desperately to hold the panic at bay.

"How the fuck did this happen?" Sirius raved, casting his arms out in front of him aggressively. "How the hell didn't we notice?! Harri why didn't you tell me? Baby, fuck. Why? Don't you trust me?"

"I didn't want to you kill him!" She cried, her breath hitching.

"Sirius this isn't helping." Remus chided, rubbing her arm.

"What the hell does it even matter?! The damage is already done! We put our lives on hold to care for him and he turns around and fucks our baby?! His own daughter! We should've locked him up years ago!"

Her godfather turned around sharply, his fist colliding with the wall, startling her, and creating a large hand shaped dent in the drywall.

"Fuck!" He shouted again.

Remus stood up abruptly and lunged forward, trapping Siri's wrists in his hands and pushing him back against the wall.

"Pull yourself together Sirius." The werewolf commanded. "I know that you're…furious. I am too, but you're scaring Harriet. This is exactly why she didn't say a thing. That poor little girl has suffered an unimaginable abuse of her trust, and she needs us. She needs you to be here and present for her. Do you understand me?"

"Remus…" He choked, face crumbling.

"I know. I know Sirius, but pull it together, for Harri."

"Oh Harri." Her godfather cried, dropping his head onto Remus' shoulder.

He let out a sob.

Remus held him tight, coaxing him to breathe deeper and it all became too much for Harriet in that moment.

"I… I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to do…I couldn't believe that he was doing that to me, and I thought maybe he would stop doing it and I tried not to be alone with him…I…I just love him so much."

"Oh no Harriet. No sweetie, no. It's not your fault. I know you love him baby, but… love shouldn't hurt like that."

Sirius had moved forward and knelt down in front of her, obviously trying to take Remus' words to heart.

"None of this would've happened if I didn't look so much like her. He thought…He really thought I was her Siri… He always said her name." She choked, wiping her eyes.

"Harri…" He trailed off brokenly.

"The…The first time, he did it, but then after he was lucid, and he comforted me… but he didn't even know why I was crying!"

"When was the last time sweetheart?" Remus asked, touching her shoulder.

"The last night of winter break." She whispered, turning her head in shame.

"The last…but Harri, Remus and I were here that night." Siri breathed.

"I know… but he didn't even know that he was doing anything wrong! It's not like he waited for you guys to leave!"

"Oh my god. He raped you while we were sleeping two doors down? You were crying that night. I found him in your room, and you were balling your eyes out. Baby, he had just…?"

The question was evident in his eyes. Harri nodded, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"Please don't send him away Siri. We can change my hair color and my eye color… everything, to look more like him. Please."

"Darling. Even if we did do that…it's not healthy for you to be around him love. He hurt you, and it'll only end up hurting you worse if he lives here. I don't want you to think of that every time you come home honey."

"Please, I'll be ok. Please. You guys can keep him away from me, you have wands and he doesn't."

"Oh Harriet." Siri shook his head, closing his eyes only for them to widen in horror a few seconds later.

"Oh. _Oh no._ James doesn't have a wand." He turned to Remus; eyes wide.

"What are you on about?" The werewolf frowned, rubbing his face.

"If he doesn't have a wand, he couldn't've cast anything, any charms Remus. Fuck, I'm gonna be sick."

Sirius stood up again, his hand over his mouth.

To Harri's surprise, for the first time that night, Remus' carefully controlled reactions slipped. He stumbled backward momentarily, reaching out for Sirius' hand and looking at her, his mouth hanging open.

"Oh no." Remus gasped.

"What?" Harri cried.

"Darling." The werewolf exhaled. "We just…need to take you to a healer is all sweetie. We need to make sure that everything is okay, in your body."

"Um, I…it hurt then, but I'm fine." She reddened, the tears leaking from her eyes. "I'm not hurt now."

"OK, I know. You're right." Sirius sighed, dropping his head. "We'll go tomorrow anyways, just to check." He ran a hand over his face, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was hiding something from her.

"Can I see my dad tomorrow?" Harriet asked meekly.

"No!" Her godfather nearly shouted at the same time that Remus said, "We'll see."

The two men made eye contact; their lips pursed in silent conflict.

The silence that descended upon the trio was uncomfortable and forced, as though Harriet's continued presence was making it difficult for her guardians to speak freely. Siri kept alternating between clenched fists and anxious pacing, while Remus focused his attention on fretting over her emotional wellbeing.

"I'm gonna go to bed." Harri whispered, crossing her arms over her stomach and standing up.

It didn't seem like either man had heard her, but she got up anyways and moved over to the stairs. When she reached the landing, Sirius' eyes widened and he stood up, reaching out to her.

"Harri, wait! You're not going to… um, you know, do anything bad to yourself?" He cringed.

Her face softened for a moment and her lips turned down. "No Siri." She breathed, before turning again and walking up the stairs to bed.

Remus watched their goddaughter disappear and dropped his head into his hands.

"What have we done?" He exhaled, grimacing, and looking up at Sirius.

"I can't believe Jamie would…"

"That's not Prongs anymore Padfoot." Remus interrupted. "He's been gone now for a long time. He never would've…"

The space seemed to be filled with unspoken words and unfinished sentences.

"Do you think she's ok?" Sirius asked then.

"I don't know how anyone could be ok after that." The werewolf sighed, putting a hand on his partner's shoulder.

They tried to give Harriet space that night, but neither of them slept a wink. Sirius was up and down checking into his goddaughter's room every hour, and Remus spent that time trying to coax him back to bed.

After careful consideration, the pair had decided that Harri would not be permitted to visit with her father the next day, but Remus had convinced Sirius to allow one visit before she returned to school, if that was still what Harriet wanted.

By six the next morning, Sirius was ready to wake her up. The looming anxiety concerning the potential consequences of James' actions was too great for him to wait any longer.

Remus volunteered to sit with her and explain why a trip to St. Mungos was necessary. He was much better at having difficult conversations.

"Good morning Harri." The werewolf prodded her arm lightly.

She groaned, and blinked a few times, her eyes obviously still heavy with the remnants of sleep. Harriet didn't say a word. Instead, she sat up slowly and leaned forward, burying her face into his chest.

They sat like this for a while, until Remus pushed a strand of red hair from her face and spoke.

"Sweetheart, Sirius is insisting that we take you to see a healer this morning, and I'm inclined to agree. We need to get you checked out, and the faster we do, the faster we can come back here and relax. Yeah?"

She looked at him and frowned. "Can I see my dad?"

He sighed. "Not today love, but you can see him before you go back to school."

"Promise?" Harri bit her lip.

"I promise."

"I don't want to see Sirius. He's so mad at me." She whispered, her voice breathy and fearful.

"Oh no, no love. He's not cross with you. He's just upset, we both are. It's a terrible feeling to know that we've been here with your father while he's been hurting you like this Harriet, but we're not angry with you."

"But he thinks there's something wrong with me. Why else would he make me go to the hospital?"

"Harri, sweetheart. That's not why. You're fifteen years old love, I'm sure you've heard of the consequences that unprotected sex can create?"

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Misunderstanding quickly turned to fright as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"But Remus, he's my dad. Surely _that_ can't happen. I didn't even think about…" Harriet trailed off.

"I don't want you to panic love. We're just going to go and make sure that everything's still alright. Sound good? You don't have to talk with Sirius if you don't want to, but just humor him."

Remus allowed her to dress, and then he led her down the stairs. Harri kept her face buried into his side, and purposefully avoided looking at Sirius when his attention turned towards her.

They were just about to leave the house when Sirius made a face.

"Moony, we should disguise her, put a glamour up or something. I don't want this getting out." He frowned.

"You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here." Harri retorted, glaring at her godfather.

"I'm sorry." He responded tightly. "I'm just stressed."

"Why don't you just make it a permanent glamour and we can just go back to the way things were?" She snapped.

"Harri you know why…" Sirius trailed off, bending down to cast the charm over her.

He was careful not to darken her hair. Instead, he changed her messy locks to blonde, and her eyes to blue. When he was finished, Harriet didn't resemble either one of her parents. He feared that she'd react negatively if she ended up looking more like her father.

The trip to St. Mungos was a silent one, with Harri still sticking closely to Remus and avoiding Sirius.

They registered her under the name Hermione Evans, and she sighed, allowing the witch at the front desk to give her an identification bracelet, but flinching away only moments later when a mediwizard entered the room to examine her.

"Ah. Do you think we could have her examined by a female?" Remus requested, making eye contact with Sirius over her head.

Harriet just looked down.

"Certainly." The young mediwizard agreed, his lips forming a line of concern as he looked her over.

He returned a few moments lately with an older female mediwitch, who dismissed him with a smile and then turned to their little family.

"Good morning dears. What's brought you three in today?" She nodded reassuringly; eyes trained on Harri due to the hospital gown.

In a sudden display of anxiety, she reached out and clasped her hand in Sirius', looking up at him with the edges of panic framing her face. He squeezed her hand in his in support, but his expression was much the same.

Remus, who was nearly always composed, spoke for them. "It has just come to our attention last night that ah, Hermione's father has been coming into her room in the nights and…uh…. Well, he's been sexually abusing her, and we brought her to make sure that there are no lasting side effects." His voice strained when he said 'lasting side effects,' attempting with difficulty to get across the message without using the words.

"Oh, you poor dear." The matronly woman fretted, frowning over her. Then she looked back up to Sirius.

"And did dad use any contraceptive spells or potions during this time?" She asked as though the question were normal.

Sirius sighed, pressing his lips to the top of her head. Remus answered again.

"Her father does not possess a wand, due to severe memory loss, nor does he have the mental capacity for brewing at this time."

The healer's brows furrowed, as though she were just remembering some important details. "Was dad admitted here last night?" She asked before shaking her head.

"No, that was…but he _was_ admitted for molestation. Are you under a false identity?" The question was directed at Harriet who looked up at Remus.

"We didn't fancy this in the papers by tomorrow morning." Sirius glared.

"Rest assured Mr. Black, Miss Potter, all staff at St. Mungos follow strict confidentiality procedures. We take magical oaths. Besides, she cannot be properly examined whilst under the influence of glamours."

"Is my dad okay?" Harri interjected with a preoccupied frown.

"Oh yes, he's fine dear. He's a bit disoriented, but he'll come around."

Sirius held up a hand to stop her. "No more. We don't want to hear anymore."

"I do." Harriet frowned.

"Not today sweetheart." Remus soothed, running his wand over her to drop the charms.

"I understand. Matters such as these are complicated. Now, I'm just going to ask Miss Harriet here a few questions, though they are of a rather personal nature." She glanced at the two men poised protectively around her.

"It's fine." Harri shook her head. "They raised me. They can stay."

"Very well." She agreed. "Now, Harriet, you're fifteen. At what age did you begin your menstrual cycle?"

"Er, just in the summer, like in June."

"My, you're a late bloomer."

"Is that bad?" Sirius questioned.

"Oh no, not bad, just unusual. Now then dear, have you gotten your cycle each month since June?"

She shrugged. "I haven't really paid attention."

"Harri! That stuff's important." Siri chided, and she looked up at him in distress.

"Padfoot, let the poor girl be." Remus admonished.

"So, you don't remember if you got it this month, or last month?" The werewolf asked then.

"I don't think so." She scratched her head, trying to think.

Sirius gulped.

"Now, don't worry, there are many reasons why a girl might skip her menstrual cycle." The mediwitch insisted. "Undue stress or fear can also have the same effects. I'll just do a precautionary scan for any injuries or positive results."

Harriet closed her eyes, feeling nauseas at the sight of the words and numbers flashing through the air next to her.

"Ok, alright." The woman began, lowering her wand. "I've just conducted a pregnancy scan, which has come back positive, but I'd like you to please remain calm, as there are still routes, we can take."

Silence descended upon the room, until Sirius broke it with an unfaltering string of curse words.

Harri just curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She felt sick.

"Sweetheart, Harriet. I'm here." Remus sighed, pulling her close to him. "I'm right here. You're going to be just fine. This lovely mediwitch here is going to tell us what we need to do to make this go away." He stroked her hair.

All she could do what nod.

The healer agreed, and then left the room.

Behind her, Harriet could hear Sirius muttering to himself. She only caught the phrase "What the fuck James?" before tuning out again.

"I don't want to ever talk about this part again." Harri whispered, keeping her voice low. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Whatever you want Harriet." Remus assured, still in a daze.

When the old mediwitch came back, she had a potion in hand. She bent down to where Harri sat on the bed, and handed her the potion.

"Now dear, before you take this, I want you to be absolutely sure what you're doing. You will be removing any trace of this pregnancy from your body. Is that what you want to do?"

"I don't…" She looked up for help. "I can't…"

Taking control, Remus took the potion from the woman's hand. "She's sure." He replied for her, and brought the bottle up to her lips.

Harriet drank it down quickly and then leaned against him, buried her face into his robes and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius left the room as the healer explained to Remus and Harriet the common side effects of the potion that she had just downed. He didn't seem to be able to listen to the information let alone process it and be useful about it.

Harri wasn't really in the right frame of mind to be concerned. She was just so utterly grateful that Remus was taking control of the situation. He held her tightly and pressed her face into his chest as he nodded along to the mediwitch's instructions.

"If she's still bleeding heavily after three days, bring her in just for a checkup." The woman continued and her godfather listened intently.

"Am I alright to take her home now?"

"Yes, yes of course. Just make sure she gets lots of rest, and that she stays conscious. If she develops a fever, or has any sort of seizure, bring her in right away. I would also recommend potentially booking a meet and greet with one of our professional mind healers…" She trailed off.

Remus sighed and ran a hand over his face. "We'll think about that when she's feeling a bit more like herself. Thank you for everything Madame." He coaxed her to stand and then as the healer left, he motioned towards her clothes and said, "Just get dressed honey and we'll go home."

Harri just looked up at his with a vacant expression. She didn't want him to leave, even for a moment.

Remus looked torn. He stared at her for a while, and then slowly began to raise the hospital gown over her head.

"You're alright Harriet. This is all going to go away. You heard what the healer said. Three days and you'll never have to think about this again." Her godfather soothed as he pulled the gown off and picked up her shirt, fitting it over her head without much effort.

Prodding her to put on her own pants, Remus braced her weight on his shoulder, and grimaced.

Harri still didn't speak.

"Do you want me to make you something special for supper?" He asked, prompting her to answer.

"Can you take me to see my dad? Please. I won't tell Sirius; it'll be a secret. Please?" She choked out, the desperation in her voice evident.

Remus braced himself and shook his head. "No Harriet. We've already told you the plan. Sirius is my partner, and I won't lie to him. I know that you're very scared, but you need give us some time, and more importantly, you need to give yourself some time."

"He's probably so confused." She blinked back tears.

"Honey, he's _always _confused. Harri if your father… the James that we knew, had any idea that this would happen, that these boundaries would be crossed, trust me, he'd want you as far away from him as humanly possible."

"But he's _my_ father. Doesn't he have a right to see me?"

"I've already said no Harriet." He snapped then, his patience faltering. "Sirius and I are your legal guardians. It's been that way since you were nine. Right now, we are saying no to visitation, and you will see him one time before you return to school."

Harriet shut her mouth and turned away.

"Come now sweetheart, soon that potion will kick in, and I doubt you'll want to be up and about when it does."

She followed him silently through the halls and held his arm only long enough to apparate before letting it go outside the cottage. Harri went straight up to the bathroom and then to her room to lay down as the healer had instructed.

Watching Harriet disappear upstairs, Remus sighed and moved to locate Sirius, who was in the kitchen, a glass of firewhiskey half gone in front of him. He looked up and frowned as the werewolf appeared in front of him.

"She ok?"

"Not really. Tried to convince me to take her to see him in secret."

Sirius' hand tightened around the glass and he scowled.

"I would never do that Padfoot and you know it."

"Why does she keep insisting? He… she's… she's fucking pregnant." He appeared a bit green around the gills.

"Not for much longer. Thank Merlin for small mercies." Remus exhaled. "Sirius, I think she's just clinging to her memories of how he was. I feel like once she sees him, she'll change her mind. It's just that he's been taken away so suddenly. You know that this is her worst fear."

"Why didn't she say anything before he… Why would she let it get that bad?"

"Padfoot. You can't think like that. I'm under the impression that Harri didn't even think of that as a possibility. She's never dated, and she usually has her mind on other things. There's a big difference between the occasional less than appropriate kiss and… well, _that._"

Sirius closed his eyes and set the glass down, his face reddening suspiciously as he looked away from Remus. It didn't take much to understand that he was crying.

The werewolf stood up, and moved behind his partner, wrapping his arms around his broad shoulders from in support and leaning his chin beside the other man's face. He squeezed him tightly into his chest and let out his own shaky breath.

Sirius pressed back against him, allowing a shudder to roll through his body.

"We're going to get through this love. She's going to get through it. That is not James. You knew him. He never would've done something like this. Do you remember how riled up he got when Mulciber assaulted Mary in sixth year? Jamie was a good man."

"I want to kill him." Sirius muttered gruffly. "I want him to know what he did to her."

"That won't help sweetheart. There's no point when the damage is already done. The best that we can do now is put James out of our minds and help Harriet to navigate this. She's so bloody scared. The poor girl couldn't even dress herself at the hospital. She just stood there." He ran a hand through Sirius' hair.

"What did the mediwitch say?"

"She'll get a heavy period, lots of cramping. Harri will have a painful next few days, but after that there shouldn't be anything else to do. She suggested a mind healer…"

"What the fuck is a mind healer going to do? She was raped by her father! How do you get over being pregnant with your own fucking sibling?!" Sirius exploded outward.

They heard a soft gasp from the entrance to the kitchen and realized with horror that Harriet stood in the doorway, her mouth was open in shock and her eyes were red rimmed and blurry with tears.

"Oh god Harri." Sirius moaned. "I'm so sorry…I just…"

"We're out of pads." She blurted out, cutting him off. "I went to look but there aren't any."

"I'll go get more." His partner mumbled uncomfortably, searching inside his robe pocket for his wallet.

"No." Remus interrupted. "I'll go. You stay Sirius."

Before the other man could think to protest, he had summoned the wallet and his overcoat and was heading for the door.

Harriet stood in the doorway, her arms crossed and her body stiff as Siri appraised her.

"What can I do baby?" He pleaded with her. "How can I make this better?"

"I just want to see him. I want to tell him that I'm not mad at him."

"I can't do that; because I am mad at him Harri. Very mad."

"Then maybe just a cuddle?" She asked quietly, her voice breaking.

"_Oh." _Sirius sniffed, his breath catching. "Of course. Of course, we can have a cuddle Harriet."

She could tell he was trying to control his emotions as he went into the sitting room and found a blanket for the couch, leaning back and motioning for her to come to him.

Harri settled against him and he pulled the blanket over the both of them, bringing her head back to rest on his chest. She relaxed back into him and closed her eyes, trying to keep the anxiety at bay.

"I'm here Harri. Me and Remus, we're not going anywhere."

"Thanks for being my dads too." She muttered, hiding her face.

His grip tightened on her. "We're all in this together." He replied, smoothing her hair back and waiting for her to drift off to sleep.

When Remus returned, it was with several boxes of variously sized pads. Neither man ever knew exactly which kind or how much to buy, so they typically went with all the kinds.

Sirius and Harri, to his relief, were cuddled up on the couch, her head the only part of her that was visible, as she lay tucked inside the circle of her godfather's arms, under the blanket.

The werewolf came in quietly, and planted a gentle kiss on his partner's head.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Not really." Sirius whispered back, but he made an effort to shoot Remus a solemn smile.

Wandering into the kitchen, he placed his purchases on the counter and turned around, startling himself out of his thoughts at the sight of a small barn owl perched on the windowsill, a letter tied to its foot.

The owl held out its leg, allowing Remus to remove the letter and then took off. He frowned, unrolling the unfamiliar parchment, and squinting as he read.

_Lupin, _

_I have no desire to involve myself further in Potter's reprehensible behavior; however, it plagues me to withhold any amount of information that could be further detrimental to his daughter's wellbeing._

_I did not mention this during our initial meeting due to the ensuing chaos after the revelation surrounding Potter's perversion, but there was another concerning memory that I witnessed inside Harriet's mind that was of a similar nature._

_It came to my attention on the same evening, that another student, Cormac McLaggen, who the girl was 'dating,' attempted to force himself on her, only to be dissuaded by Harriet's persistent and physical refusal. _

_This altercation resulted in the girl being manhandled and abandoned in a dark drawing room. Do with this information what you will, but perhaps there is a need to instruct the child in effective methods of castration._

_SS._

"Cormac McLaggen?" Remus whispered to himself, wracking his brain, looking for any mention of the name in his memories.

Harriet had never brought up dating, or boys, or anyone at all aside from Ronald and Neville, who she'd never had romantic inclinations towards.

Letter in hand, the werewolf returned to the living room and sat down on the coffee table in front of Sirius and Harri.

"What's that?" His partner questioned, eying the paper.

"Padfoot, has Harriet ever had a boyfriend?"

"Not that I know of. Why?" Sirius' throat was scratchy from all the crying.

"Snape sent us a letter. Look." He held it out for him to take as he wiggled one arm out of the blankets.

The man's eyes scanned the parchment, and Remus knew the exact moment when he'd reached the part about McLaggen because his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"What?" He mouthed. "Is he fucking with us?" The question came out in a hushed anger.

"Despite our mutual animosity, I truly don't believe that Severus would speak this way about Harriet if he didn't have to. She is the spitting image of her mother." He cringed.

Sirius appeared lost in thought for a moment before he cleared his throat and looked back at Remus. "Lily would be crushed. She was so in love with Jamie, and god, he was in love with her from first year."

"We should've put him away the moment he started calling her Lily. We should've known where that could lead." The werewolf ran a hand through his hair. "I just never would've thought…"

"How can she stand to be around him? She didn't even flinch when she saw him… What if I had done that to you Remus? You wouldn't just pretend it never happened, would you?"

"We can't do this Sirius. We can't dwell on what ifs. Who knows what I would've done in that situation. All I know is that I love you a great deal, and Harriet loves her father very much as well."

"Do you think we should talk to her about this?" He held up the letter.

"Yes…" Remus answered slowly, gathering his thoughts. "But not right now; before she goes back to school. We'll get her through this _thing _first." He shuddered, not wanting to say pregnancy again.

Taking a book off his shelf, Remus sat down to read, and Sirius leaned his head back onto the arm of the sofa, as though her were going to nap. However, the werewolf knew better. His partner wasn't asleep. Instead, he'd be running through 'what if' scenarios in his head until something more pressing came along.

Harriet's face was slowly turning redder, and every once in a while, she'd let out a moan or a groan that made him suspect that she was starting to be in pain. The thought made him cringe. He'd asked the healer if he could give her pain potions, but she'd stated that because the one she'd taken was a cleanse of the entire body, adding any more potions could counteract the ingredients in the first.

They'd need a potions master for something specifically tailored to her, and unless it became unbearable, they did not have one of those.

Whether Harri was actually sleeping still, or just wanted to cuddle, Remus did not know, but by the afternoon she was still snug against Sirius, who desperately needed the loo, on the couch.

"I'm not waking her up." He stated firmly, but his voice was pained.

"Padfoot, don't be ridiculous. She's not going to break. Here, I'll do it."

"Harri." The werewolf coaxed, stroking her cheek. "Harriet, can you sit up for me? Sirius really needs the bathroom."

His goddaughter blinked, and then stretched her arms, struggling to maneuver herself into a sitting position.

Remus pulled the blanket off her and nearly cursed. Harri, who had changed into light grey shorts earlier, was covered in blood. Her shorts, and her inner thighs were stained crimson and as soon as she saw this, her cheeks flushed, and she leaned forward, burying her head in her knees.

"I hate my life." She growled.

Sirius' eyes were wide and his expression was one of awkward panic. "What's wrong with her?" He nearly shouted, looking to Remus for answers.

"Nothing is wrong with her. This is the potion taking effect. Harri, sweetheart, you don't need to be embarrassed. You've been asleep for hours. This just means that the potion is working."

He could see that there was a stain on the sofa cushion beneath her as well.

"Harri…" He tried again, placing a hand on her back.

She flinched away, skirting to the other side of the couch and casting him a death glare.

"I know! I know that this is the potion!" Harriet screeched. "I'm not stupid, despite what you may think, but don't expect me to be glad that this is happening because it's not like I wanted to be pregnant with my _own sibling_ in the first place!" Her tone was hysterical as she threw Sirius' words from earlier back in his face.

"Oh honey." His partner began.

"Shut up! Just shut up Siri! Nothing you say will make this better! Why did he have to do this to me!? All I've EVER wanted is for my dad to be well. I've wanted and prayed and pleaded for only that my entire life! It's all I saw in the Mirror of Erised! I didn't even see my mum!"

"Let it out Harri." Remus encouraged.

"Oh, fuck off! You're not a mind healer! Next maybe you'll try to tell me that it wasn't my own damn fault for pretending to be her all the time! That if I hadn't played into it… then this never would've happened! Well it's true! I just don't understand why he held me down! If he didn't do that to my mum, then why did he do it to ME!?"

Now panting, and nearly keeling over in pain, Harriet let out one more frustrated shriek before dissolving into tears again.

They were both on her in an instant, holding onto her, holding onto each other.

"It wasn't your fault Harri. It wasn't your fault at all. He shouldn't've done that to you. You should've felt safe here and you didn't, and you felt like you couldn't confide in us, and none of that you are to blame for. Do you understand?" Remus asked her seriously.

"I always encouraged him. When you weren't here, I never said I was Harriet, I never tried to make him see. I always pretended to be Lily until…"

"Shh. Shh baby. You're okay. You did nothing wrong. You only did what you thought was right at the time." Sirius rubbed her back.

She was sandwiched between them now.

When her breathing slowed, and her mumbling quieted, Remus kissed her hair. "Honey. Let's go get you changed, and then you can come back down ok?"

Harri nodded. "This is disgusting." She looked down at the mess on the couch, her shorts, and her thighs.

"Nothing a good cleaning charm won't fix." He soothed, pulling out his wand and scourgifying the mess as Sirius made a dash for the loo.

Summoning a box of the largest of the feminine hygiene products, the werewolf helped Harri up the stairs and waited for her while she took a quick shower and changed clothes.

The anger and pain had abated for the time being, and Harriet spent the rest of the afternoon and evening curled up on the couch, trying to ignore what appeared to be strong cramping in her lower belly. He and Sirius tried to act as positively as possible, but the atmosphere was still tense.

Every once in a while, they'd exchange a look, or he'd catch the other man on the verge of tears, or with clenched fists. Harri would moan and they would be reminded with a sickening clarity exactly why she was unwell.

Yes, it would take some getting used to this new reality.

**AN- Hey all, I need some input-on pairings. I originally conceived this fic as a Harriet/ Draco pairing (banking on the forgiving your father for his wrongdoings connection), but I'm also really feeling the Harriet/Neville pairing right now (on the grounds of him understanding her so well due to Frank and Alice). Please tell me which you want to see! **


	4. Chapter 4

Harri didn't think she'd felt this much pain since Voldemort had crucio'd her in the graveyard. It was like a period, but ten times more awful, and along with it came one hundred times more shame.

Sirius had a hard time even looking at her, and she wasn't sure if it was because of whatever was happening in her body, because he didn't like to see her hurting, or because he was disgusted with her, but it was definitely one of those options, and the silence hurt.

Remus was better at hiding his feelings, but the full moon was approaching. It was the third day now, and he'd been taking care of her round the clock since the hospital. She wasn't sure what day of the week it was, or how many days it was until the moon, but she could tell that he was growing more haggard even from the morning to the afternoon.

Now, after four days of missed classes, letters began to arrive. Of course, the headmaster knew where she was, but her friends didn't. For all they knew, she'd gone to her occlumency lesson and never come back.

It was Neville's letter that arrived first. He, unlike Hermione and Ron, had accurately guessed the reason for her absence.

_If this is about your dad, and you need to talk; I'm here for you._

He'd written, and Harriet blinked back tears. Even to sweet, kind-heartened, understanding Neville, she could never confide what'd really happened. It was too horrible.

Forgetting about the letter momentarily, Harri groaned, doubling over on the couch and screwing up her face. It felt like her insides were being wrung out and she couldn't decide what was worse: the pain, or the gushing between her legs.

What a time to have two godfathers.

Siri shot her a pitying look from his position on the other couch and then closed his eyes again. Her godfather had been trying really hard to understand why Harri hadn't told him about her dad's behavior, but she could tell that he was having a hard time reconciling with the fact that he and Remus had spent almost eight months with James after he'd begun hurting her.

Poor Remus was caught in between.

The man had prominent bags under his eyes as he levitated three steaming cups of tea into the sitting room, and took a seat at the end of her couch, tucking her feet onto his lap.

"You don't have to do that Remus. You look exhausted." Harriet informed him as he made to give her a foot rub.

"I've been a werewolf for almost thirty years sweetheart. I'll be alright."

"When's the moon?"

"Tomorrow night. Sirius will stay here with you." Her other godfather looked up at the mention of his name.

"Remus, no. He always goes with you." She frowned.

"Don't argue Harri." Siri grumbled. "We're not leaving you alone here. You could have a seizure, or bleed out on the couch."

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad." Harriet moaned, arching her back as her belly tightened once again.

"Harriet Lily" He snapped. "I don't want to…"

"Don't call me Lily." She interrupted bluntly.

"That's your name." Sirius glared.

"I just don't want you to call me Lily. Please."

Remus raised a hand, shushing his partner before he could speak again. "I think that's a perfectly reasonable request given the circumstances Padfoot."

Before Sirius could comment again, the werewolf had changed the topic. "Who wrote you Harri?"

"Ah, Neville." She held out the letter for her godfather to read.

He pursed his lips as he skimmed it, and then patted her leg. "Neville seems like a very nice boy. Maybe you should think about taking him up on his offer."

Harriet shook her head. "I've always been able to talk to him, and he's always understood, but not now. I can't talk to anyone about this." She croaked.

The two men exchanged a pained glance before the sitting room descended into an uncomfortable silence.

In the evening, after another supper that Harri didn't eat, Dumbledore keyed into the floo. The sound startled her, and instead of responding herself, she just pulled the blanket over her head higher and let Remus deal with it.

Harriet got up to leave the room just as the fire flared, her face contorting with agony at the speed of her movement. Remus came over to stand behind her, rubbing her shoulders as Sirius came curiously into the sitting room.

Dumbledore was not the only person to come through. Behind him, came Professor Snape and Harri flinched back at the sight of her potion's professor.

"Please don't get up to leave on our account Harriet dear." Dumbledore started. "By all means continue resting.

She eyed Remus who nodded, and then sank back down, wrapping the blanket around herself and staring listlessly at the wall. Professor Snape stood stiff and formal, but his face was set in a glare as he appraised her godfathers.

Siri's fists were clenched and he stood poised in front of Harri, adopting a protective posture.

"What can we do for you Headmaster? Severus?" Remus asked politely.

"I wanted to stop in to offer my condolences, to check on Harriet, and to ask if there is anything that I can do to make this transition easier for you three. I brought Severus in case you're in need of any specific potions, stress reducers perhaps." His tone was light and friendly.

"Ah. That's very thoughtful of you Albus, but Harri can't have any potions for a couple more days as she consumed a rather… comprehensive one recently."

"What potion would that be?" Snape interjected smoothly; his eyebrow raised.

Remus and Sirius exchanged a look and then they both glanced back at Harriet, apparently weighing the pros and cons of talking to the professor.

"Harri had some health complications due to her father's actions, and a healer at St. Mungos gave us a potion to help cleanse her body of these complications." The werewolf explained, carefully skirting around the details.

Snape's eyes widened in horror, understanding evident on his face, and Harriet flushed red, turning away and burying her face in the blankets, her own eyes stinging with the humiliation of it all.

Sirius grimaced, coming to sit on the arm of the sofa and ran a hand through her hair, which was unbrushed and messy. Her godfather didn't even seem to have the energy or will to glare at Snape.

The headmaster spoke next. "You've left James to reside in the closed ward I assume?"

"For now." Remus responded carefully. "We haven't discussed the specifics yet Albus. Our focus right now is on Harriet."

"As it should be. Very well." She could hear him stand up to go. "Do send an owl when Harriet feels up to returning to classes, or if you are in need of anything." He requested.

Before they left, Snape cleared his throat and addressed Remus. "As it so happens, it is within my skill set to brew a pain potion that will not interact poorly with the one that Potter has taken."

"That would be very much appreciated Severus." He responded as Sirius continued to play with her hair.

"Did you receive my correspondence?" The potion's master asked then, his tone awkward.

"Stay out of it Snivell- "

"Sirius. Quiet." Remus snapped. "Yes. We did. Thank you for the information."

Somebody must have nodded, because there was some shuffling and then Dumbledore spoke directly to her.

"Harriet, just know that we are all here for you in this trying time." He stated, but she ignored him, staying hidden.

They were gone in the next moment and her godfather sat down heavily on the coffee table in front of Sirius, letting out a sigh.

"Harri." Sirius prodded.

Her emotions came to a head when he spoke.

"Y…you told them." She stuttered, lowering the blanket, looking to the werewolf, and exhaling shakily.

"Oh sweetheart." Remus fretted.

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone. You said I didn't have to ever think about it again. You said…"

"Harri, he didn't really have a choice." Sirius backed his partner up.

"He didn't have to say anything! It's not their business!" Harri argued back, voice rising in pitch. "Snape's already wrecked everything! He's awful and it's all his fault this happened!"

"Harriet. Don't yell at Remus. It's not Sniv's fault that your father…" His face twisted as though it was hard for him to both absolve Snape of guilt, and speak of what James had done.

"It's not his fault that your dad hurt you." He finished.

"But you hate him, you always say that he's awful and now you're on his side." She looked away, rubbing her eyes with her pajama sleeves.

"We're not on Severus' side Harriet." Remus soothed. "Besides, despite our differences, he's never been unkind to you. He was good friends with your mother after all, and he was only offering to help"

"My mother." She sobbed. "It's always her isn't it? Everyone loves Lily, but nobody wants Harriet."

Harri pushed past her godfathers, ignoring the cramps that threatened to overtake her, and moved as fast as she could towards the stairs.

Sirius listened to Harriet go and shot Moony an apologetic look. "Was I wrong to say what I did?" The werewolf asked, his tone pleading and pitiful.

"No. No Remus you're doing so well with all of this. You're holding this whole family together. If you weren't here… god I don't know what we'd do."

He pushed his forehead into the other man's and pressed his lips to his. Moony responded headily, seeking comfort and assurance as they melded together. Sirius wouldn't let this tear them apart, not he and Remus, and not them and Harriet. They would be a proper family again.

After a moment, they broke apart and Remus trailed a hand down his cheek. "You should go check on her." He suggested, closing his eyes.

Harri wasn't in her room, but he heard the shower going so he cupped his hands around his ear and listened.

She was in there sobbing, the hiccoughing wails digging into his heart like a blunt knife. Sirius' heart broke for her, and in that moment, he realized that however confused or hurt that he was over this situation, she was hurting worse.

He tried to picture her face, to step into her body, as her father, who she loved more than anyone else in the world, came into her bedroom and wrestled her to the bed. Sirius attempted to recreate the scene. As far as he knew, she'd had no previous sexual experience. His goddaughter had probably had no idea what was happening.

And James…

Harri had been right when she'd lost it on them the other day. He didn't understand why James would force her either. His best friend had never been a violent man. Lily had been enamored with him. He'd never struck her, or raped her as far as Sirius knew, and he'd been round to their house nearly every day, so it was hard even to picture him acting out aggressively.

If he truly thought that Harriet was Lily, why would he hurt her?

Perhaps they hadn't been paying enough attention. James was never as delusional with them as he was with his daughter. It was possible that his hallucinations had worsened and they just hadn't noticed, too caught up in other things. Harriet was home so infrequently.

Definitely not for the first time, Sirius wished that James had just died with Lily. He felt guilty, but the man had put them through so much hardship over the years. It had been so difficult on Harriet, and now that he was out of the house, it felt like a loss, but a loss that couldn't be mourned.

Because really, he wasn't dead, and Sirius just didn't understand how to feel about him now. Did he still love the man as a brother? Could he? Should he consider James, and sick James as two separate people? And, when his best friend did die, which form would his soul take?

He was interrupted out of his anxious musing by Remus, who had called him from downstairs.

"What is it?"

"Can you come down here a minute?" His partner requested, and Sirius was concerned to note a tone change in the werewolf. He sounded uneasy.

Descending the stairs, Sirius balked when he reached the bottom and realized that someone else was standing in their living room.

"Er, Neville, right?" He greeted, looking to Remus who appeared conflicted.

"Yeah, hi Mr. Black sir. I'm really sorry for showing up like this, I know that I already sent a letter, but I just got to thinking and if Harri's upset about her dad then maybe I could talk to her. I mean I figured that's the only reason she'd just disappear, so I asked my grandmother for special permission to visit and of course she's Harriet Potter so she said yes." The boy was rambling on and Remus was rubbing his temples.

"That's… uh. Well, that's sweet of you Neville, and I'm sure she'd normally love the company, but I don't think that Harri's up for visitors right now, and she's er, in the shower." Sirius fumbled through an excuse.

His partner appeared to be thinking deeply about something. "I'll just go check on her, to see how she's feeling." The werewolf trailed off, and Sirius cringed. He didn't think that was a good idea.

Neville sat down on the sofa and tapped his foot, obviously nervous to be there. He looked like a string bean, long and awkward with gangly arms and the remnants of baby fat still leftover around his face.

"How's your school year treating you kid?" Sirius tried to be nice. He had always liked Frank and Alice, and Harri spoke highly of their son.

"Really well, thanks. I'm enjoying Herbology, hate potions though, but Harri usually sits with me, to ward off Snape."

He snorted. "That's smart." And then Sirius had an idea. "Hey, Neville, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure." The boy shrugged.

"Um, has Harriet ever had any boyfriends? At school I mean."

Neville blushed. "Er, would she want me to answer that?"

"I'm not sure, but it could help us help her, to know. She's just not in the right frame of mind for us to ask right now."

"Well, if your trying to find her boyfriend you won't. Harri's not got one now… There were always rumors about her and Ron, but he's more into Hermione I think, and there was Cormac, but that was in third year."

"Third year?" He nearly gasped. If what Snape said was true… thirteen? Sirius had to stifle a wince. "Oh, alright then. So, you and Harriet aren't…"

The boy turned an unflattering cherry red at his unfinished question.

"No sir. I mean she's great, amazing actually, and beautiful, but um, no. We're not dating." He finished lamely.

"Well." Sirius coughed. "That's good because then I definitely wouldn't let you up to see her."

The joke fell flat, and he felt nauseous afterwards for even making it. Of course, Harriet wouldn't do anything with the Longbottom boy. She was bloody traumatized and actively miscarrying a pregnancy.

Neville just let out a nervous laugh.

Luckily, Remus chose that moment to come back down the stairs, though, he was alone.

"Neville I've just spoken to Harri, and she says that she doesn't want to talk about her dad right now, but that you're welcome to go up and visit with her. Just be warned that she's quite sick right now, but it's not contagious."

"She's sick?" He sounded concerned.

"Oh well, yes, just…girl problems Neville." Remus blinked.

"Yeah, female stuff." Sirius backed him up.

Unphased, the boy nodded. "Is it alright if I go up now?"

Her godfather had given her time to fix herself up and change her clothes before going downstairs to tell Neville that he could come up, and for this she was grateful. She'd tried to apologize for getting angry with him, but he'd brushed her off, shaking his head and telling her not to worry about it and that he understood.

Now, sitting up on her bed, Harri tried to slow her breathing and calm down. She didn't have to talk about her dad. Remus had promised that he'd tell Neville not to talk about him, but still, the panic was contained only by the fear of embarrassing herself in front of her friend.

Harriet knew that her face was still red and blotchy from the tears that she'd cried in the shower, but she couldn't back out now. She'd already sent Remus downstairs.

Neville, always respectful, knocked on the open door before entering her bedroom, and Harri knew then that she must look awful, because his eyes widened a fraction of an inch before he quickly controlled his facial expression.

"Hi Harri." He smiled, moving over to greet her properly.

In that moment, she found it too difficult to speak, so instead, she returned his friendly kiss on the cheek and motioned for him to sit down with her on the bed.

All it took was one sympathetic look for Harriet's carefully walled composure to crumble. She had sworn that she wouldn't do this, tried to think of only positive things, but the mixture of her physical pain, and his soft grimace as he took in her appearance up close was enough to do her in.

"Hi." She croaked, her face scrunching up into what she was sure was an unflattering mess; a sob escaping through her parted lips.

"I'm sorry." Harri choked, trying to hold the sobs back as they threatened to take over one again.

Indecision flashed briefly in Neville's eyes before he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a hug.

"Oh Harriet, I'm so sorry."

"He's gone!" She wept. "They took him away!" Her voice was shaky and her arms came up, clinging onto his neck and wetting his t-shirt.

"I know. I know. I'm here for you." He whispered, letting her cry it out on his shoulder.

"I'm s…so scared that he's c…confused, and that he t…thinks I'm mad, or that he t…thinks I don't l…love him."

"He'll be okay Harri. You'll visit, and in time, he'll develop a new normal. There's a lot of consistency at the hospital. It'll be easier on his mind, and the time you do spend with him will be extra special."

"What if he just gets worse?" She asked meekly.

"Then you'll love him anyways. You never stop loving them even when they can barely form a coherent sentence." Neville shared, rubbing her back.

"I just want him to know who I am Nev. I'm so tired of being Lily."

"Have you ever thought of… like, changing your hair color or something drastic, to shock him into recognizing you?"

"I wanted to but Sirius and Remus won't let me." She breathed. "They just took him away!" Her hands tightened their grip on his shirt and she let out another cry. "I didn't even get to say goodbye and they won't let me visit."

"Did they say why? They might just be exhausted. It's really hard to be the full-time caretaker of someone like my parents, or your dad. I'm sure they'll come around."

Harri just stayed silent. She couldn't tell Neville the real reason she was barred from seeing her dad right now. He would be horrified, and then he'd agree with her godfathers, and in that moment, she couldn't quite decide which was worse.

Her belly tightened with another painful muscle contraction, and she pulled her arms back to clutch at her stomach, leaning her head forward and squeezing her eyes shut.

Suddenly, the shame was too overwhelming for Harri to cope with. She was a mess, and now Neville had seen exactly how bad it was.

"Nev, I'm sorry. You should go. I shouldn't let you see me this way…" Harriet forced out through gritted teeth, pushing away from him, her hand still on her lower belly.

"Hey, Harri. Don't say that. I'll go, but don't be ashamed for expressing how you feel. I know this is a really difficult time for you. You're allowed to be however you feel with me. Okay?"

He waited until she nodded her head in agreement before he squeezed her hand again and made to leave.

"Write me if you need." Neville offered at the door, and Harriet let out another moan of pain and rolled onto her side.

Sirius watched the Longbottom boy descend the stairs looking guilty. The kid's shirt was wet and splotched with patches of what he could only assume were Harri's tears.

Remus, who noticed this as well, frowned. "Is she alright Neville?"

"I'm not really sure." He cringed. "I think she just really wants to see him."

Sirius opened his mouth to comment, but not for the first time that day, his partner held up a hand to silence him.

"It's a bit more complicated than that in Harriet's situation unfortunately, but thank you for coming by to check on her. I'm sure it meant a lot."

The boy gave some sort of reply and then politely moved over to the floo, where he went off to his grandmother's house, and then back to school.

Remus shot him a look, and Sirius closed his eyes and sighed. "You or me?" He asked, pointing towards the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

Several days had passed of the same. Harri moved around the house like an inferi. She was lethargic, but at the same time, quick to anger. The night of the full moon, when Remus had left, she'd shut herself up in her bedroom until dawn when he'd come back home.

Sirius had tried, but Harriet had been a hard shell to crack for him. She gravitated towards Remus, which was unusual for her, and he knew he was to blame. Now, with ample time to think, Sirius kicked himself for reacting the way he did to his goddaughter's revelation.

He just knew that this was the reason why she wouldn't look at him. It was only in her most vulnerable moments that she'd actively seek him out. Since their cuddle on the couch, Harri had only come to him two more times.

The first had been after the Longbottom boy had gone home, and the second had been only the other night. She'd come into the room that he and Remus shared and tucked herself under the blankets on his side. Sirius had woken up to find her face pressed into his shoulder.

Harriet had never been the type of girl to crawl into bed with them. She had always been her father's daughter. Harri had always been close with Sirius, and she'd relax with him, and sit with him on the couch, but the one whose affection she'd longed for the most was James. It was something that no matter how hard he'd tried to claim, Sirius had never been able to get the same reaction out of her.

Now that relationship was ruined, spoiled forever in the most irreparable and heinous of ways. He could remember Harri as a little girl following James everywhere. At that time, his best friend had been a loving and attentive father.

They'd always said that James had just gone a little 'round the bend after Lily, and for a few years, that's all it was. He'd occasionally wake Harri and floo over to their house in the middle of the night with paranoia, or he'd speak to Lily as though she were beside him when she clearly wasn't.

Once he'd even refused to bathe Harriet for a week because he was afraid that someone had slipped a potion into the water in his home, but that had been the extent of it. He had still been responsible and coherent. He never withheld affection or normal human contact from his daughter.

Things had gotten a lot worse around Harri's eighth birthday, and by her ninth, they had been granted full custody. James' paranoia worsened, and he would go for hours at a time without acknowledging his child.

Once Harriet learned to use the floo on her own, she would come over and rouse them if he was having an episode. It became so persistent that the only option that would keep the Potters together was one shared, communal residence.

Harri had always resembled Lily, it was an unmatched comparison, but James had never confused them when the little girl was still little.

Sirius could remember the first time he'd mistaken her identity with perfect clarity a few days after her eleventh birthday. It really hadn't been all that dramatic. They'd been playing exploding snap, all three men, and Harriet had been curled up on the couch by her father's side.

She'd woken up to Sirius' shout of indignation over his loss, and had looked up to ask her dad what'd happened. He could still call to mind the strange and confused tone that his best friend had used that night as he chuckled and said, _'Go back to sleep Lils,' _patting his daughter on the head like it was nothing.

It had escalated from there. Only as of late had they realized just how seriously the problem had festered.

Remus had taken Harri back to the mediwitch a week after she'd taken the cleansing potion, and the woman declared everything to be normal. Her scan had come back negative, which was a relief to everyone involved. Sirius couldn't even think about the situation in his own head without bile rising in his throat.

Harriet had learned that asking to visit her father was getting her nowhere, so presently, her strategy was trying to convince the pair of them that she was ready to return to school, so that they'd be forced to hold up their end of the bargain. Fortunately for them, she was not succeeding.

Harri was losing sleep. She was awake constantly, and she'd taken up reading late into the night. Remus would often go down to the sitting room to check on her at two, three, and four in the morning, and he'd report that her eyes were wide and her expression vacant as she stared at the pages, unmoving.

While the first few days after they'd had James committed had been plagued by loud rages, and extreme emotional outburst, now, the silence had become deafening.

Harri moved through the house like a ghost, retreating inward upon herself and keeping herself locked up in her bedroom most days.

She wasn't eating.

Sirius before, had been opposed to the idea of a mind healer, now he was pushing for it. They'd switched places and this time it was Remus who cautioned him, asking him to wait just a few more days to see if this was just a phase, not willing to trigger their goddaughter to lash out at them any further.

The other thing on his mind, when it wasn't occupied stressing over James, was the letter from Snivellus, which was all but confirmed by the Longbottom boy's mention of whoever this Cormac bloke was. The idea that Harriet might have already experienced something like this before was nagging at the back of his mind, as his fear for their goddaughter only grew.

Sirius was terrified for her. He would be kidding himself if he tried to come up with a more important or meaningful relationship in Harriet's life other than the one with her father, and if she was still clinging on to him, even after what he'd done; what would she do the next time she met a man who claimed to love her?

He'd briefly mentioned this fear to Remus who had agreed that it was important, but had dismissed his idea to broach the subject with Harri. He was afraid of her reaction, but at that point, Sirius was more frightened for her future than preoccupied that she'd blow up at him.

If this was a pattern now, if she had been routinely hurt by people she cared about, what would stop her from believing that to be normal, or acceptable later?

He only hoped that when the time came to speak to her, Remus would be willing and able to step in and help. He was so much better with words. It was something that Sirius was so endlessly fond of.

Remus came into the kitchen and frowned at him. "Something on your mind?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Just the usual." Sirius shook his head with a wince.

Lately, every waking thought had been consumed with anxiety.

"We'll get through this." His partner repeated, as he had done every day since they'd found out about James.

Sirius appreciated his boundless confidence, but sometimes it was hard to believe.

"Where's Harri?" He asked, clearing his throat to fill the silence.

"She's just getting dressed. I convinced her to come downstairs and eat something today, so put your smile on." Remus instructed, running his thumb lightly across Sirius' lips, as though he were trying to prompt him to turn them upward.

"What are you talking about, I'm always smiling." He tried to joke.

The werewolf let out a small snort of amusement and then kissed the top of his head. "Just fake it till you make it Padfoot."

Harri didn't come down for another twenty minutes, and when she did, Sirius could tell she was averting her eyes, trying desperately not to make eye contact with either of them. It was obvious why. Her face was puffy and red, and her eyes were bloodshot. She'd been crying again, which was no surprise, but it felt like this stage might never end, for any of them.

"Good morning Harri." Sirius greeted her pointedly.

She lifted her head enough to shoot him a small, silent smile in greeting, and then sat down at the table, chewing on her lip.

Remus placed a small plate of eggs and toast down in front of her and she didn't even acknowledge him as she picked up her fork.

"How did you sleep baby?" Sirius asked.

Harriet shrugged and then in a scratchy whisper replied, "Didn't really."

His partner, who appeared outwardly to be content with the quiet, pulled out the prophet and began to read, humming and hawing along with the daily news, as was typical.

Sirius on the other hand, was growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Harri seemed to finish her food in record time, and before he'd even had a chance to start on his eggs, she was standing up to leave again.

"Just hold on Harri. Wait." Sirius sighed, reaching out a hand to stop her.

Harriet bristled.

"What?" She snapped, crossing her arms.

"I just…won't you at least stay for a little bit? Why won't you talk to us?"

Still standing, his goddaughter looked to Remus for help.

"Sirius." His partner cautioned.

"I'm sorry." He began, but then stopped himself. "I'm sorry, but I need you to talk to me Harri. This is never going to get better if you don't open up with us."

Her face slipped into a glare, but she stayed silent, staring towards the entrance to the kitchen, her body tense and her eyes unforgiving.

"Harri." He pushed.

"Stop." She growled, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"C'mon honey, you can talk to us."

Something broke then, and Harriet reacted fiercely, her eyes blazing.

"No, I can't. I've tried, I've been trying for weeks to tell you what I need and you don't listen! You won't listen to me!"

She made to leave, but sensing Sirius' determination to have this out, Remus stood and placed a hand on her back, keeping her there.

"Ok. Ok Harriet. I think we should have this talk. Why don't you sit back down?"

"We've already talked about it! I'm tired of telling you!" She cried, tears pouring down her cheeks now as she turned her face into Remus' chest, allowing him to hold her as her body shook with emotion.

Sirius sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples and then braced himself for more yelling.

"Can you just tell us one more time Harriet. We're listening." The werewolf coaxed.

"I told you. I need to see him. I need to talk to him, please. I'll do anything."

That was what he'd been afraid she'd say. Remus pursed his lips and shot him a look. Her plea had been pitiful and desperate, and Sirius knew that his partner was not an arguer.

The werewolf rubbed her back and then released her from the embrace, still keeping quiet.

"Why don't you sit down Harri. Let's talk about this. We'll have a good chat about why you feel that visiting your father will help, and you can hear our side as well. How about that?"

She didn't speak for a few seconds and then finally, she nodded, lowering herself back down onto the chair. Remus followed suit.

"Ok, you start Harriet. What do you feel like visiting James will accomplish for you?"

Her bottom lip quivered. "I just need to tell him that I forgive him, and that I'm not mad."

"Harr…" Sirius began but Remus cut him off.

"Padfoot, you need to give Harri the chance to say her piece."

He shut his mouth and motioned for her to continue. He knew that his partner was right.

Harriet coughed. "I'm scared that if I stay away for too long… well, I'm scared he'll never recognize me again, and I don't know if I can live with that." Her voice cracked.

Sirius shifted uncomfortably.

Remus encouraged her to go on but she shook her head. "It's no use. You guys won't. You won't let me. Siri isn't even listening."

"I'm listening Harriet." He countered.

"No, you're not! You never listen. You only care how it makes you feel and you think it's disgusting. I see the way you're always looking at me!"

"He raped you Harriet. How am I supposed to feel? Tell me."

"He didn't know it was me! Please, Sirius, why won't you believe me?"

He couldn't listen to her anymore. Sirius couldn't stop the rising urgency in his chest.

He stood up bring his hands down to the table. "Harriet, it doesn't matter if he knew or not! He's your fucking father! I don't understand how you can even stand to be near him!"

"_Because_ he's my dad! Because I love him even if you don't anymore!"

"Well your love is wasted then Harri because he doesn't love you!" Sirius retorted without thinking.

His goddaughter recoiled as if she'd been slapped.

"Sirius." Remus hissed; the rage evident in his eyes.

Sirius ignored them both and trained his gaze back to Harri. "Love shouldn't hurt. If it hurts, it's not love. He loves the idea of you, but he has no clue who you are Harriet. He can't love you properly."

The air was thick as she stared back at him. She was frozen, her eyes wide, and her face caught in a 'deer in the headlights' expression of fear and alarm as she stared in between the two of them.

"You're hurting me." Harri whimpered. "You say you love me but you're hurting me too. I can't. Please let me go." Harri turned to Remus, adopting a pleading tone. "I can't do this."

His partner sighed and nodded. This was all it took for her to turn around and bolt. They were silent until they heard the door of her bedroom slam shut upstairs.

The werewolf was livid. "How dare you?" He hissed. "How dare you tell her that James doesn't love her. What's wrong with you? You couldn't just sit there and listen? She's a bloody child!"

He was so close that Sirius could feel the warmth of breath on his face.

Remus set his jaw and stalked out of the room. He could hear the man angrily taking a book off the shelf, and knew he'd be pretending to read until he calmed down.

Sirius closed his eyes and sat back down at the table. He let his head fall into his hands and exhaled, trying to clear his mind.

Harri couldn't think clearly. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and her eyes were threatening to spill over again. Sirius didn't understand, he never would, and Remus always took Sirius' side. Nobody ever took hers.

She was alone, scared, and so tired. It felt like there would never be anything beyond this. She would always love her father, and she couldn't understand how her godfathers had just stopped loving him, stopped talking about him, and stopped caring about him all in one night.

If she could forgive him, why couldn't they?

All that Harriet knew was that she no longer felt connected to anyone, or anything, and she was furious with her godfather. She was so angry with him for not allowing her to do this on her own terms.

Her skin was clammy and her hands were shaking, but she took a few deep breaths, trying to block out her emotions, her fears, and her doubts before stepping into the shower and turning on the water.

As Sirius came down from his emotional high, and took the time to think about what he'd said, his whole body began to ache with guilt. He couldn't stop picturing Harriet's face as he'd shouted at her. The devastation and betrayal had been pungent and heavy in her eyes.

He didn't know what to do or how to handle this. He hated James, truly, he wanted to kill him. Sirius wanted to wring his former best friend's neck for what he'd done, but Harriet was so dedicated to her father. He understood to an extent, but at the same time it sickened him.

All he wanted was for her to move on, to talk about her feelings and to try her best to move past James and what he'd done. He hadn't for a moment thought that she'd want him still to be involved in her life, but, and, hadn't that been what she'd been telling them all along?

Sirius didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to talk to her about this without getting mad, but he knew he had to apologize. It wasn't right, what he'd said to her, and the last thing she needed right now was for her godfather to damage her trust too.

Taking several deep breaths, Sirius steeled himself and walked out into the sitting room. Remus didn't even raise his head in acknowledgement.

He deserved that.

Making his way up the stairs, he could hear the steady flow of water coming from the loo.

She was in the shower.

He sunk down to the floor outside the bathroom door and waited, listening for any noises that would indicate that she was almost done.

They never came.

The shower continued to run for ten minutes, then twenty, then thirty until he'd begun to worry. Harriet only ever took long showers when she wanted to cry, but he couldn't hear her at all. Presumably, she'd been in the shower for a while already before he'd come upstairs, so he stood up and knocked.

"Harriet, are you almost done? We need to talk." He tried, but he was met with no response.

Sirius knocked a bit harder. "Honey, just say something so I know you're ok." His tone was growing in urgency.

"Harriet, if you don't answer me, I'm coming in there." Sirius threatened, his chest heavy with anxiety now.

Still no answer.

Now with hardened resolve, Sirius tried to knob, to no avail, so, he backed up and then took a running start at the door, creating enough force with his body to ram it open with a loud bang.

No reaction, no scream of indignation, no nothing.

In a panic now, he lunged forward and pulled open the shower curtain, and his heart stopped.

Harri lay on the floor of the tub in her tank top and knickers, her head lolled back, and her eyes open. Her previously pink top was stained crimson, which poured from her wrists.

She was laying in a pool of bloody water.

Sirius fell to his knees, and vaguely, in the distance, he could hear a voice screaming, "Remus! Remus get up here! Remus help!" as he pulled her from the water.

There was so much blood.


End file.
